Preparedness for Gulchers

Posted by davidmcnab 8 years, 11 months ago to Going Galt
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We are making a farcical descent into a police state. Not just that, but bee populations are collapsing, threatening food supply. Also, water reserves are being critically over-exploited. The oceans are being fished out. And, the world's economy threatens collapse at any time.

This means that the Gulch (or Gulches) are not just a nice pleasant retreat for like-minded people, they are absolutely critical to our survival.

This leads to my question - are there Gulchers among us who participate in preparedness communities? (I believe the older term was 'survivalist'). If so, are there any communities and/or websites you would recommend?

Unless we have the stealth technology mentioned in AS, and this seems a few years off, then a Gulch will only be as good as its members' ability to defend it. Siege strategies are useless - any significant threat from authorities will need to be countered with a way to scatter and disappear into the wilds, then re-convene at another Gulch. This means being prepared to deal with the elements at random times, for random periods of time.

Any thoughts?


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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    In a sense I became spoiled in later working years. Fifteen steps and one flight down to eat. Three flights up to work eight hours. Three flights down to eat and work four hours over time which was confined to an area no more than 100' wide, 900 ' long and a total of 9 flights up or down maximum - with elevator. to all but the highest and lowest levels. A far cry from the infantry.

    Now I live on a boat and if I stand in the center of the cabin I can cook , eat, work with not more than two steps fore and aft and one step port to starboard. Outside add three step to the stern and eight or nine to the bow. or two steps to a dock or dinghy. Yet when in a port the world comes to me via internet including parts deliveries. I really look forward to the daily long walks and carrying the ruck back with 10 to 30 kilos of whatever. i have one dink and one bicycle and two pairs of walking type athletic shoes and one pair of deck shoes and flappers or flip flops for the shower if I'm near one.

    The extra walking shoes are the back up system. No jackets, no ties, no cold weather gear, five hawaiian or latin type button shirts five golf or tennis type three button shirts, six pair of shorts and two pair of jeans. Socks, jungle style boonie hats. work gloves....two sweatshirts. two of the shirts with the newer of the two athletic shoes complete the formal wear. about a two dozen t shirts. half are printed with something from somewhere or from the Gulch. Half are just plain white. Stealth T Shirts.

    I left out one obvious item. Refer to Jimmy Buffet for the answer.

    Three solar panels, one wind generator accounts for power the rest is the wind. in my sails mmmm one double blade paddle and swim fins...the rest is walking or if far enough local bus.

    Life is SWEEEEET!

    Tonight i'm having fresh caught fish and shrimp with fresh vegetables and a little rice. Choice of a dozen kinds of salsa followed by one each fiction and non-fiction by the bunk and two non-fiction on the table.

    I keep on hand over three thousand books and one thousand selected movies or documentaries through the miracle of external hard drives.

    Latest two came from an editors note in a book by long deceased C.M. Kornbluth referring to books written by his High School English teacher Of five volumes she wrote i snagged the last one available of two - compliments of Amazon - and am chasing any remaining of one in particular Golden Treasury by Mary J.J. Grimm should you chance across it. It discusses every type or style of poetry and gives examples of each.

    What's on your menu?

    Sincerely,

    Living My Life For Me

    PS all the stuff needed to 'survive' comes with the boat. most of the idea came from a former publication called Backwoods Home. SCUBA I forgot SCUBA and snorkeling. And two fishing poles.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    It will be a boost all round. Emotional/family ramifications aside, road fatalities typically destroy otherwise precious skill-sets. Road injuries take good workers offline for random periods. And then there's other resulting economic inefficiencies due to damage to the car(s). And don't forget that driving, especially over distance, is a mentally demanding and often energy draining task with a significant opportunity cost.

    EVERYONE will benefit from self-driving cars, not just drivers who are temporarily compromised.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The private market is doing pretty well with this. Enough large corporate players putting in the R&D.

    I for one would jump at the opportunity to buy a self-driving car, as long as it has (1) Legal and technical capability to drive completely autonomously (without requirement for a sober licensed driver behind the wheel), and (2) Ability to be driven 100% manually.

    I often have to travel nearly 300km in a day to attend head-office meetings, and would love to be able to work at my laptop, or kick back and sleep, while in transit.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    That then this is now. I like the never drunk part.But why is this a boost only to the hospitality industry? So whose going pay for it? The liquor and drug industry?
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Example people who work in the East Bay or San Francisco itself commute from towns close to Sacramento. Every day. Both ways. That's the closest they could find affordable housing.

    A popular method was chipping in to buy a 15 pax van. One of the non working spouses drives both ways. While the other is at work they shop. Five days a week five different drivers for three weeks or some similar schedule. LA Same way. No one spreads out they just enlarge the sardine can.

    Gives new meaning to 'huddled masses yearning to be squeezed.'
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  • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Sorry, I don't. My brother-in-law lived there and they were told not to try to store food because it was illegal. He moved a long time ago.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Have you got a source for these laws? All I found relating to Denver was a mention that Colorado is one of only 15 states where price-gouging during emergencies is not illegal.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I don't know, but I know that they are real. Denver, Colorado is one place that has such rules. I don't know that they have ever been challenged in court.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 5 months ago in reply to this comment.
    What on earth gives the government the right to prevent people from storing personal property in the form of food and water!??!? How were such laws conceived, and how did governments actually get away with passing them?
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  • Posted by 12AngryWomen 8 years, 5 months ago
    Gonna go ahead and put out the call to Albany, MO for Gultchers. The town currently has the capacity to go off grid if needed, although most of the current residents are oblivious. A network for food security is established, lots of Amish in the area, and tons of vacant buildings for cheap. Some of the best soil and water in the world, lots of hunting. But no good jobs, so bring your own income source and do not expect to sell anything to the locals.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    and, going through the inverter there are losses.....
    I'm collecting these "start-your-car" lithium-ion
    batteries which have high capacity for a short time
    and an unknown capacity for a longer interval.
    I may just start wiring them up and see what happens! -- j
    .
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  • Posted by 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Depends on the current rating of the batteries. I'm a bit worried about the feasibility with the hot plate. With low voltage high power applications, huge amounts of power get eaten by the wires between the battery and the appliance.
    To power a hot plate you'll need about 1000 watts. The battery capacity is the current multiplied by the voltage multiplied by the number of batteries. If you've got 10 12volt batteries in parallel, each battery will need to be capable of delivering 9 amps.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    let's see ... 108 batteries at about 40 dollars each
    is kinda steep. . but running my inverter from a
    stack of about 10 in parallel (with diodes to keep them
    from fighting one another) might allow some cooking. -- j
    .
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  • Posted by waytodude 8 years, 11 months ago
    Rural America is still alive and well. It takes time for country people to accept new comers. Be real be honest and offer to help in community projects. It may take a year or two but like in most things in life you have to pay your dues..
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  • Posted by 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    A series-parallel configuration with enough batteries would make up the requirement for a standard domestic kitchen stove.
    Example - if you had a 1200 watt hot plate. With US 110 volt power supply, and 12-volt 1-amp batteries, then to be safe you'd really want to deliver 110 volts at 12 amps. Put 12 of the 12-volt batteries in parallel, that gives you 12 volts at 12 amps. Make up 9 of these sets of parallel batteries, put them in series, and you have 108 volts at 12 amps of DC power.
    However, you really would be better off with a high-capacity inverter, capable of generating 110 volts at 40 amps. Then, you could use the batteries as a 'cache', and have any solar/wind/other energy charging the batteries, while the batteries are being drained to power the household.
    The biggest trick would be the charging circuitry for the lithium batteries - they have a tendency to explode and catch fire if the voltages and timings are not right.
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  • Posted by $ Susanne 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    They used L/A as well (and they do to this day), depending on the central office and where it was in relation to the service demand. Problem with NiFe is they don't retain a charge well... but in a solar system, you're *always* on charge, which is ideal for them.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Self-driving cars will also provide a long-overdue boost to the hospitality industry. The "designated driver" will be a vast mountain of software, fastidiously designed, thoroughly tested, road-proven, never drunk.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    fascinating -- I had always assumed that they used
    lead-acid. . Thanks Much for the info! . I'm messing
    around with these start-your-car lithium ion batteries
    right now, trying to figure them out. . there is a chance
    that we can do some good here! -- j
    .
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  • Posted by 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I work as a software developer, 95% by telecommuting. Productivity is measured through physical outputs (code commits) and peer review. Video group meetings occur through Google Hangouts each morning before starting work. The manager is very hands-on - one or more phone calls a day, setting the tone and holding people accountable. This creates an atmosphere where people don't want to goof off, they want to get stuff done.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    ummmmm ... these put out 5, 12 and 19 volts in the
    smaller amperages, usually, but ... several of the 12s
    in parallel might just do a hot plate -- Yes!!! -- j
    .
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  • Posted by $ jlc 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    For example, people have been lobbying to restrict the use of the automobile since the 1970's...but susses are still 80% empty around here and everyone drives their car. Sometime the vast inertia of the people is to our advantage.

    Jan
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  • Posted by VetteGuy 8 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    As a manager, telecommuting can be tough. I am one of the "managed" so it is easier for me. My manager hired me after knowing me through industry working groups for years, so there was a level of trust built in. We communicate as needed by phone to make sure I am on the right track. Managing an office with people who need help (such as newbies) would probably not be practical as a full-time remote, but you might be able to cut the commute down to two or three days a week. Senior level people who can help the newbies (without involving you, if possible) is also quite helpful. Of course, each situation is different, and I don't know what kind of business you are in (I am in engineering), so what works for us may not work for you.

    Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth (or maybe less) on that. :-)
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